We drove up to Mendocino in Northern California this Labor Day weekend. It's about a 4 hour drive from where we live in South Bay and we took Snoopy along with us which I did regret one night (more about that later on). The drive up to the beach gets very beautiful once you get into the thick of the redwood forests in Navarro River Redwood State Park. Majestic pine trees stand tall pointing towards the sky allowing little snippets of the sun's rays to sneak through the branches. If you're lucky you'll see plenty of deer walking around in the forest!

Mendocino is a cute little town. It's tiny. It's where Murder She Wrote was shot (no Jess Fletcher in sight) but you can imagine her biking around the neighborhood. It somehow fits even if it was supposed to be New England. There are plenty of little cafes and restaurants in the small downtown area. Since we had Snoopy with us we couldn't visit all the restaurants we wanted to try but we eat lots of breakfast pastries at the Good Life Cafe and Bakery. Go there, you will love it! Take a trip to check out the glass at Glass beach, it's a short drive from Mendocino and the beach allows dogs which can be fun, if your dog loves to get into the water. There are tons of other little beaches all over the stretch, though I'm not sure which ones are open to dogs and if any of them are private but again they're all beautiful with breathtaking landscapes to enjoy. You might also get to see condors (they've made an amazing recovery and you will see the flying or sunning on trees).

Coming back to why I almost regretted taking Snoopy with us. Raccoons in the middle of the night going through a trash can and a dog that can sense what's going on outside is a recipe for poor sleep and one excited pup!